Dispensing closure for containers



June 1943- w. F. STRAUB DISPENSING CLOSURE FOR CONTAINERS I Filed Aug.50, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet l June 1, 1943. w, F. STRAUB DISPENSING CLOSUREFOR CONTAINERS Filed Aug. 30, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIIIINVEINTOQ-I O/aM/e/ (i'a/ra TTOQQLE]? V7 6 M, C4

June 1, 1943. w. F. STRAUB 12,320,484

DISPENSING CLOSURE FOR CONTAINERS Filed Aug..so, 1939 v s sheds-sheet sEAQIVENTOIA Qfi/fer FT flrraew ya.

v52, My 9% Patented June 1, 1943 DISPENSING CLOSURE FOR CONTAINERSWalter F. Straub, Chicago, 111., assignor to W. F. Straub & Company,Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application August 30, 1939,Serial No. 292,571

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in dispensing closures forcontainers and more particularly concerns a closure of the type havingan opening through which the contents of the container may be pouredunder the control of a slidable cover.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a container closure ofthis type having improved means cooperative with the cover forcontrolling the outflow of material from the container.

More particularly, it is an object to provide a container closure of theforegoing general character having an improved discharge spoutarrangement so related to the slidable cover that outflowing materialcan be accurately regulated as to volume and quantity, and after therequired amount of material is discharged the fiow can be quickly andcompletely discontinued in a clean-cut manner which avoids the waste andannoyance of stringing or dribbling and running down the exterior of thecontainer, especially where the material comprises a viscous or syrupysubstance such as honey.

Another object is to provide a dispensing container closure having adischarge spout and slidably guided cover the manipulation of which isfacilitated by a handle engageable with the cover-guiding means todefine the fully open position, while the forward end of the cover isengageable with the spout in the closed position.

Still another object is to provide a dispensing container closure havingan improved slidable cover construction.

A further object is to provide an improved slidable cover containerclosure of this type which is simple in construction and highlyefiicient in use and which can be produced at low cost by simplemanufacturing methods from inexpensive and readily available materials.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the followingdescription and from the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container closure embodying theinvention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the closure.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View longitudinally through the cover andshowing part of a container with which the closure is adapted to beused.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view, partially in section, of thecontainer and closure held in pouring position.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of closure.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a liner adapted to be used with theclosure shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view through the modified closure showingthe same applied in sealing relation to the mouth of a container.

Fig. 8' is a sectional View taken. in the same plane as Fig. 7 butshowing the closure and liner in condition for pouring from thecontainer.

Fig. 9 is an elevational view showing the modified closure and containerheld in pouring position.

Fig. 19 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 5 showing the slidablecover of the closure in open position. I

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a further modified' form of theinvention.

Fig. 12 is a perspective View of the liner adapted to be used with theclosure shown in- Fig. 11.

Figs. 13 and 14 are vertical sectional views through the furthermodified form of closure showing the same applied to the mouth of acontainer and showing the cover inclosed and open positions,respectively.

Fig. 15 is a top plan view of the further modifie'd, closure showing:the cover thereof in open position.

Fig. 16 is an elevational view of the further modified form. of closureand container held in pouring position.

In a preferred embodimentof the invention (Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive), theclosure is constructed as a round cap 20 which may be stamped orotherwise formed from suitable sheet metal to provide a generally flatend wall or crown 2| merging with an integral, peripherally formedattachment flange 22. In practice the, closure is mounted in closingrelation to the discharge opening of a dispensing container such as. abottle 23 which may have a generally cylindrical pouring neck 24. Theclosure cap may be secured to the neck 24 by spinning or otherwiseattaching the flange 22 about an outer, circumferential end bead 2'5.Interpose-d between the cap 20 and the end of the pouring neck 24 is asuitable gasket or liner .21. 1

To enable controlled discharge of material from the container throughthe cap 2!), the crown 2i is provided adjacent toone side thereof with apouring opening 28 of limited area. closed by a slidable gate or cover29. By preference, the opening 28 is of greater width than depth and theouter or pouring edge thereof is provided with an outstanding lip orflange 30 defining a pouring spout formed on a radius concentric withthe periphery of the cap. The arcuate shape of the pouring spout flangeresults in the formation of a smoothly flowing, formed stream whenpouring.

In the present instance, the inner face of the spout flange 39 ispreferably spaced inwardly from the cap periphery slightly less than thethickness of the underlying bottle neck edge as best seen in Figs. 3 and4. As a result, the inner spout face is offset outwardly relative to theinner wall surface of the bottle neck so as to expose a portion of theuppper edge of the neck to lie opposite the forward end of the cover 29for a purpose which will hereinafter more fully appear.

Freedom from possible leakage of the container contents through thepouring opening 28 during shipment or storage prior to dispensing fromthe container is assured by the sealing liner 2'! through which anopening for discharge of the contents may be made when desired byremoving a section 3| (Fig. 3) which may be conveniently delineated andweakened in an area substantially conforming to the pouring opening 28by means of suitable scoring.

The cover 29 is preferably formed of an elongated, flat strip or plateof sheet metal transversely folded intermediate its ends to provide anoutstanding right angular finger piece or handle 32. Forwardly of thehandle 32 the cover has a sealing head section 33 somewhat wider thanthe opening 28 which it is adapted to close, while rearwardly of thehandle the cover includes a centrally alined tail piece section 34substanspaced relation to the forward tongues 35 as will enable fullopening of the sealing head 33. By their location and construction, therear tongues 31 are adapted to function as limit stops for defining thefully open position of the cover 29, the relationship herein being suchthat the handle 32 engages these tongues as shown in full outline inFig. 2. In this connection, it should be noted that the narrowproportion of the tail piece 34 enables a substantially greater rearwardspacing of the tongues 31 upon the relatively small diamtially narrowerthan the sealing head but of the same width as the handle 32. cover 29has a substantially T-shaped appearance with the side edge portions ofthe sealing head 33 projecting laterally wing-like beyond the edgesofthe handle 32 and with the forward wall of the handle substantiallyalined with the rear edge of the sealing head 33. Longitudinally, thecover is preferably dimensioned to extend, in the closed positionthereof, from the rear edge of the crown 2| to the pouring spout flange39, the forward and rear edges of the cover being formed on radiimatching the underlying curvatures of the pouring flange and the capperiphery, respectively. As a result of this arrangement the forwardedge of the cover is adapted to engage in a substantially sealing mannerthe spout flange 39 which also serves as a limit stop defining the fullyclosed position of the cover.

To guide the cover 29 for longitudinal movement into and out of theclosed position, suitable means, such as spaced pairs of alined forwardand rear overlying retaining and guiding lugs or tongues 35 and 31,preferably struck out of the crown 2|, may engage the sealing head 33and the tail piece 34, respectively. The forward tongues 35 arepreferably so located with respect to the range of movement of thesealing head 33 from the open to the closed positions, taking intoconsideration the front edge curvature thereof, that adequate engagementwill be maintained in all positions of the cover. Thus, the tongues 35engage the rear corners of the sealing head 33 in the closed position ofthe cover (Fig. 1 and the dot-dash position in Fig. 2) generally in linewith the handle 32, while in the open position thereof the tongues 35engage the sealing head at theends of its curved forward edge.

The rear' tongues 31 are preferably located to be spaced as far aspossible from the tongues 35 and as close as practicable to the arcuaterear edgeof the crown 2| and in such rearwardly As a result, the

eter crown 2| than would be possible if the tail piece were as wide asthe sealing head 33. In pouring from the container 23, it may be heldupside down and the cover 29 slid by means of the handle 32 into openposition substantially as shown in dot-dash outline in Fig. 4. Thedischarging material Will appear as a relatively small, smoothly formedstream 38. As soon as the desired quantity of material has discharged,the cover 29 may be slid back toward closed position and will effect aprogressive attenuation of the stream 38 until'the forward edge of thesealing head 33 attains a position substantially opposite the exposedportion of the underlying bottle neck edge (full line position Fig. 4).Thereupon, the flow of material, particularly where it is of a viscouscharacter like honey, will be substantially stopped; and in the intervalwhile the cover is moved to close the remaining gap between its forwardedge and the pouring spout flange 39 the stream will be cut off clean.As a result, substantially all of the material that discharges from thecontainer will pass beyond the pouring spout flange by the time thecover is fully closed and when the bottle is returned to uprightnon-pouring position there will be complete freedom from anyaccumulation of material that might tend to run over onto the crown 2|or down the side of the bottle. Any slight amount of the material thatadheres to the inner face of the pouring spout 39 may run down towardthe base thereof and form a seal along the forward edge of the sealinghead 33. i In the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 5 to 10inclusive, the closure has a crown 39 provided with a relatively smallpouring opening 49 which in the original condition of the closure issubstantially blocked by a bendable tongue 4|. The opening preferablyhas the outer or pouring edge thereof equipped with an arcuate struck uplip or pouring spout flange 42 formed on a sharper arc than the adjacentperiphery of the cap, the center of the are being offset outwardly fromthe underlying edge of a bottle neck 43. Due to its shortening by themetal removed in the formation of the pouring spout flange 42, thetongue 4| will adequately clear the exposed portion of the bottle neckedge. To facilitate bending the tongue it may be prebent adjacent theline of its connection with the end wall or crown as by means of a lineof scoring or crimping 4| extending across the base thereof, therebyalso avoiding possible warping or damage to the adjacent crown areasincident to the bending. 1 Y 1 Interposed between the crown 39 and-thebottle neck 43 is a liner 44 which in the region underlying the tongue4| is preferably formed with a severable area 45 defined by a line ofscoring 46 adapted to register with the pouring edge of the crownopening 49 and extending beyond the side edges of the opening 49 toavoid the necessity of accurately registering it with the. side edges(Figs. 6 and '7). The area 45 is adapted to be forced inwardly as shownin Fig. 8 by bending the tongue 4| thereagainst to provide an opening 41through. the liner for passage of material to discharge from the pouringopening 40.

To close the pouring opening 40, an elongated slidable cover 48 ismounted diametrically across the crown 39 between spaced pairs offorward and rear retaining lugs or tongues 49 and 55 respectively. Thecover may be formed of a single strip of suitable sheet metal of uniformwidth throughout intermediately folded upon itself to provide a rightangular finger piece or handle 5|. In the closed position of the cover41 the forward edge thereof engages the pouring spout flange 42 whichserves for this purpose as a movement-limiting stop (Figs. 5 and 7). Inthe open position of the cover 41 the rear pair of tongues 50 byengagement with the handle 5| function as limiting stops (Fig. 10)

For strengthening the cover 41 a longitudinal reenforcing bead 52 may beformed therein. This bead stops short of the opposite ends of the coverso as to avoid interfering with full contact of the rear end portion ofthe cover substantially sealingly with the crown 39 and the front endwith the pouring spout flange 42. The bead also has the effect ofslightly drawing up the cover medially for creating a slight lateraldivergence in the plane of the sections thereof at opposite sides of thebead. This results in creating a frictionally resistant interengagementbetween the cover and the retaining tongues 49 and 50 and between thecover and the crown 39 to facilitate retaining the cover in the adjustedopen or closed positions.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 11 to 15,inclusive, a generally ovate, slidable cover 53 is pivotally connectedadjacent to one end thereof as by means of a rivet 54 for swingingmovement upon the flat crown of a cap 55. At its forward edge,identified at 51, the cover 53 is preferably formed on a radiusconforming to the radius of a spout lip fiange 58 which extendsperpendicularly upwardly from the cap crown and defines the pouring edgeof a discharge opening 55 therein. In the closed position of the cover53 (Figs. 11 and 13) the forward edge 5? has substantially sealingengagement with the inner face of the flange 58.

The open limit of the cover 53 is defined by suitable means such asheaded rivet 65 which is secured in fixed position upon the cap crownand slidably engages the cover through an arcuate slot 5| therein. Thisslot is long enough to enable the limited swinging movement of the coverand is adapted to be engaged at its forward end by the rivet 60 in thefully open position of the cover (Fig. The rivet 60 preferably servesalso as a frictional hold-down means for the cover for aiding inretaining the cover selectively in open or closed position.

To reenforce the cover 53, an upstanding stiffening flange 62 may beprovided along the rear edge thereof and running around the free end.The free end portion of this fiange may be enlarged as indicated at 63to provide a finger grip for manipulating the cover.

An air vent from the interior of the cap 55 to facilitate pouring may beprovided in the open position of the cover 53 by the registration ofsuitable perforations 54 and 65 in the crown of the cap and in thecover, respectively. In the closed position of the cover, theperforations 54 and 65 are out of register and an imperforate portion ofthe cover substantially seals the crownvent perforation 64,

This form of the invention is particularly adapted for closingrelatively wide mouth jars, an exemplary form of which is shown at 55 ofFig. 16. Such a jar may have a threaded neck 61 (Fig. 13) upon which thecap may be screwed. A liner 68 (Fig. 12) is preferably interposedbetween the end edge of the neck 61 and the cap 55 and may have aweakened area 69 adapted to register with the discharge opening 59 sothat when material is to be discharged from the jar, the weakened areacan be removed as by cutting the same out with a knife. If desired, avent opening in registration with the crown aperture 64 may be punchedthrough the liner 58.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present inventionprovides an improved container closure which is adapted for convenientlycontrolling discharge of material such as a viscous fluid like honey.Through the novel pouring spout lip and sliding cover arrangement, thesmoothly flowing stream of liquid can be nicely and cleanly cut offwithout stringing or dribbling. The novel construction of the cover, andthe means for retaining and guiding the cover Which confines the limitof opening thereof, taken together with the spout lip which defines theclosed limit of the cover, affords a simple and inexpensive constructionwhich can be produced at low cost from readily available materials andwhich operates very eiiiciently in use.

I claim as my invention:

1. A closure device of the character described having, in combination, acap, a slidable cover member mounted on said cap including a handle andtwo sections extending oppositely therefrom, a reenforcing beadextending longitudinally of both of said sections and effecting aslightly transverse divergence from the plane of said sections to causethe edges of the cover to lie closely against said cap, and means onsaid cap for receiving said sections to retain and guide said cover,said divergence of the sections effecting a frictionally resistantinterengagement thereof with said means and said cap to assist inholding said cover in adjusted position.

2. A closure for a container comprising, in combination, a sheet metalcap having an end wall provided with an opening, and a bendable tongueextending into the opening, said tongue being prebent adjacent the lineof its connection with the end wall to facilitate bending of the tonguewithout affecting the adjacent areas of the end wall, a liner for thecap having a weakened line extending along one edge of said opening,said liner being adapted to separate along said line and a portion bentinwardly by bending said tongue inwardly thereagainst, and a cover onsaid end wall for closing said opening.

3. A dispensing closure for a container comprising, a sheet metal caphaving an end wall provided with an opening adjacent the periphery, aportion of the metal punched to provide said opening being bentoutwardly along the peripheral edge of the opening to form a pouringspout, the remainder of said metal being severed from the end wall alongits side edges to provide a bendable tongue extending into said opening,a liner for the cap having a weakened line coincident with the outeredge of said opening, said liner being adapted to separate along saidline and a portion thereof bent inwardly by bending said tongue inwardlythereagainst, and a cover on said end wall shiftable into abutment withsaid spout to close said opening.

4. A closure device of the character described having, in combination, acap adapted to be attached in sealing relation to a container and havinga discharge opening with an outer curved edge adjacent its periphery, anelongated slidable cover mounted on said cap, means on said cap forreceiving said cover to retain and guide it for sliding movement to openand close said opening, and a reinforcing bead extending longitudinallyof said cover and efi'ecting a slight transverse divergence of therespective opposite sides of said cover to cause the edges thereof tolie closely against said cap, said divergence effecting africtionally-resistant interengagement of said cover with said means andsaid cap.

WALTER F. STRAUB.

